Changing times in Mazatlan

It’s Thursday morning
and I woke up with a stinking cold. Guess I shouldn’t complain as it is the first one in over a year. But still….

As I’ve mentioned we really like walking around in the old area of Mazatlan. We have a parking lot we always park in – they make room for us even when they are full. Yesterday there was plenty of room for Willie.

Right across from the main plaza is a big bank building. We’ve been watching them repaint it for a couple of days. The day before the painter was using a very long roller to paint – now he is up on a very tall ladder doing some trim. Seems like there could be an easier way to do this. People walk back and forth under and around his ladder.

And this is the first time we’ve seen this. Shades of old Tiajuana. Actually saw a 20 something girl get up on it for her picture. Her boyfriend was cracking up.

All around the square are shoe shine stands. This is a police woman getting her boots shinned. There are more and more policewomen here in Mexico now. Times they are a changing.

And as we walked past the church we saw the “Official Store” of the Cathedral. Selling usual religious trinkets.

Several times on our way to the central market we have walked past the Panama Restaurant y Pasteleria. This time we decided to stop and have lunch. An excellent choice. The Driver had a club sandwich and I had a cheeseburger – I know, I know – but I don’t like Mexican food. Both came with fries plus coffee and iced tea (the ice tea here is always sweet with a lemon flavor.) Price US$ 14.50! and they were very good. The place is after all a bakery and they have a wonderful pastry cart but we didn’t indulge this time.

YUMMY

Continuing on our wanderings we stopped in a big yardage store. This in particular caught my eye – beautiful. Very shear with designs of sequins. – sounds gaudy but in the right dress WOW – only US$8 a yard! Can’t get cotton for that amount at home.

Walked down some different streets to see some different sights. Here are two houses – one has been restored even has a satellite dish for Dish TV – the other doesn’t even have a roof.

And be careful walking – have to look down at all times. This is drainage.

Have passed this huge place several times – check out the wires in front. Why did I mention the wires….well Mazatlan is now in the process of burying all the overhead wires. Quite a project.

Spaghetti wires

First they break up the sidewalk with a jackhammer then they finish digging the trench by hand.

Digging by hand

Here is the jackhammer laying on the sidewalk, notice the extension cord….

Add caption

Here is the connection between extension cords

Safety First

Here is where the cord is plugged into the electricity

No OSHA here

And here the man is finishing off a trench that has the tubing already laid.

And here is the result – last year there were wires running all over this area.

And they work pretty fast. The first day we were here the whole road along the municipal building was tore up. Now it is finished - three days.
More from our walking around later...